Search Results (208)

Effective building operation requires a careful balance between energy conservation and indoor environmental comfort. Although numerous methods have been developed to reduce energy consumption during the operational phase, their objectives and applications vary widely. However, the complexity of building energy management makes it challenging to identify the most suitable methods that simultaneously achieve both comfort and efficiency goals. Existing studies often lack a systematic framework that supports integrated decision-making under comfort constraints. This research aims to address this gap by proposing a decision-making tree for selecting energy conservation methods during building operation with an explicit consideration of indoor environmental comfort. A comprehensive literature review is conducted to identify four main energy-consuming components during building operation: the building envelope, HVAC systems, lighting systems, and plug loads and appliances. Three key comfort indicators—thermal comfort, lighting comfort, and air quality comfort—are defined, and energy conservation methods are categorized into three strategic groups: passive strategies, control optimization strategies, and behavioural intervention strategies. Each method is assessed using a defined set of evaluation criteria. Subsequently, a questionnaire survey is administered for the calibration of the decision tree, incorporating stakeholder preferences and expert judgement. The findings contribute to the advancement of understanding regarding the co-optimization of energy conservation and occupant comfort in building operations. Full article

The global climate crisis has driven unprecedented agreements among nations on carbon mitigation. With China’s commitment to carbon peaking and carbon neutrality targets, the building sector has emerged as a critical focus for emission reduction, particularly because office buildings account for over 30% of building energy consumption. However, a systematic and regionally adaptive low-carbon technology evaluation framework is lacking. To address this gap, this study develops a multidimensional decision-making system to quantify and rank low-carbon technologies for office buildings in Beijing. The method includes four core components: (1) establishing three archetypal models—low-rise (H ≤ 24 m), mid-rise (24 m < H ≤ 50 m), and high-rise (50 m < H ≤ 100 m) office buildings—based on 99 office buildings in Beijing; (2) classifying 19 key technologies into three clusters—Envelope Structure Optimization, Equipment Efficiency Enhancement, and Renewable Energy Utilization—using bibliometric analysis and policy norm screening; (3) developing a four-dimensional evaluation framework encompassing Carbon Reduction Degree (CRD), Economic Viability Degree (EVD), Technical Applicability Degree (TAD), and Carbon Intensity Degree (CID); and (4) conducting a comprehensive quantitative evaluation using the AHP-entropy-TOPSIS algorithm. The results indicate distinct priority patterns across the building types: low-rise buildings prioritize roof-mounted photovoltaic (PV) systems, LED lighting, and thermal-break aluminum frames with low-E double-glazed laminated glass. Mid- and high-rise buildings emphasize integrated PV-LED-T8 lighting solutions and optimized building envelope structures. Ranking analysis further highlights LED lighting, T8 high-efficiency fluorescent lamps, and rooftop PV systems as the top-recommended technologies for Beijing. Additionally, four policy recommendations are proposed to facilitate the large-scale implementation of the program. This study presents a holistic technical integration strategy that simultaneously enhances the technological performance, economic viability, and carbon reduction outcomes of architectural design and renovation. It also establishes a replicable decision-support framework for decarbonizing office and public buildings in cities, thereby supporting China’s “dual carbon” goals and contributing to global carbon mitigation efforts in the building sector. Full article

Early evacuation during bushfires remains the safest strategy; however, in many realistic scenarios, timely evacuation is challenging, making safe sheltering a last-resort option to reduce risk compared to late evacuation attempts. However, most Australian homes in bushfire-prone areas are neither designed nor retrofitted to provide adequate protection against extreme bushfires, raising safety concerns. This study addresses this gap by investigating the concept of retrofitting a part of the residential buildings as attached safe rooms for sheltering and protection of valuables, providing a potential last-resort solution for bushfire-prone communities. Numerical simulations were conducted using the Fire Dynamics Simulator to assess heat transfer and internal temperature conditions in a representative residential building under bushfire exposure conditions. The study investigated the impact of the placement of the safe room relative to the fire front direction, failure of vulnerable building components, and the effectiveness of steel shutters in response to internal temperatures. The results showed that the strategic placement of safe rooms inside the building, along with adequate protective measures for windows, can substantially reduce internal temperatures. The findings emphasised the importance of maintaining the integrity of openings and the external building envelope, demonstrating the potential of retrofitted attached safe rooms as a last-resort solution for existing residential buildings in bushfire-prone areas where the entire building was not constructed to withstand bushfire conditions. Full article

Infrared thermography is a common approach used in building inspection for identifying building envelope thermal anomalies that cause energy loss and occupant thermal discomfort. Detecting these anomalies is essential to improve the thermal performance of energy-inefficient buildings through energy retrofit design and correspondingly reduce operational energy costs and environmental impacts. A thermal bridge is an unwanted conductive heat transfer. On the other hand, an infiltration/exfiltration anomaly is an uncontrollable convective heat transfer, typically happening around windows and doors, but it can also be due to a defect that comprises a building envelope’s integrity. While the existing literature underscores the significance of automatic thermal anomaly identification and offers insights into automated methodologies, there is a notable gap in addressing an automated workflow that leverages building envelope component segmentation for enhanced detection accuracy. Consequently, an automatic thermal anomaly identification workflow from visible and thermal images was developed to test it, utilizing segmented building envelope information compared to a workflow without any semantic segmentation. Therefore, building envelope images (e.g., walls and windows) were segmented based on a U-Net architecture compared to a more conventional semantic segmentation approach. The results were discussed to better understand the importance of the availability of training data and for scaling the workflow. Then, thermal anomaly thresholds for different target domains were detected using probability distributions. Finally, thermal anomaly masks of those domains were computed. This study conducted a comprehensive examination of a campus building in Syracuse, New York, utilizing a drone-based data collection approach. The case study successfully detected diverse thermal anomalies associated with various envelope components. The proposed approach offers the potential for immediate and accurate in situ thermal anomaly detection in building inspections. Full article

The integration of energy-active elements into the building envelope in the form of large-area heating/cooling, active thermal protection (ATP), thermal barriers (TB), and TABS represents a technical solution that is consistent with the principles of energy sustainability, resilience, and adaptability to climate change and ensures affordable and clean energy for all while protecting the climate in the context of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The aim and innovation of our research is to develop energy multifunctional facades (EMFs) that are capable of performing a dual role, which includes the primary known energy functions of end elements and the additional innovative ability to serve as a source of heat/cooling/electricity. This new function of EMFs will facilitate heat dissipation from overheated facade surfaces, preheating of hot water, and electricity generation for the operation of building energy systems through integrated photovoltaic components. The theoretical assumptions and hypotheses presented in our previous research work must be verified by experimental measurements with predictions of the optimal operation of building energy systems. Most existing studies on thermal barriers are based on calculations. However, there are few empirical measurements that quantify the benefits of ATP in real operation and specify the conditions under which different types of ATP are feasible. In this article, we present the development, design, and implementation of an experimental prototype of a prefabricated building module with integrated energy-active elements. The aim is to fill the knowledge gaps by providing a comprehensive framework that includes the development, research, design, and implementation of combined energy systems for buildings. The design of energy systems will be developed in BIM. An important result of this research is the development of a technological process for the implementation of a contact insulation system with integrated ATP in modular and panel buildings with a lightweight envelope. Full article

Lecture halls are characterized by large spatial dimensions, deep floor plans, and high occupant densities. Lectures are typically conducted using multimedia and blackboard-based teaching, placing higher demands on the indoor light and thermal environment compared to standard classrooms. This study aims to simulate the interrelationships between multiple building envelope parameters and building performance, in order to improve visual and thermal comfort while reducing energy consumption in cold-region lecture halls. Based on seven key envelope parameters—including openable window area ratio, west-facing window-to-wall ratio, exterior insulation thickness, shading element spacing, angle and width, and window glass type—a multi-objective optimization framework was established. The optimization process targeted three key performance indicators—useful daylight illuminance (UDI), energy use intensity (EUI), and thermal comfort percentage (TCP)—in the context of a stepped classroom. The results show that increasing the thickness of exterior insulation and reducing the width of shading components contribute positively to photothermal comfort without compromising thermal and visual performance. Compared with the baseline design, optimized schemes that incorporate appropriate west-facing window-to-wall ratios, openable window areas, insulation thicknesses, and external shading designs can reduce annual energy consumption by up to 10.82%, and increase UDI and TCP by 12.79% and 36.41%, respectively. These improvements are also found to be economically viable. Full article

The building and construction sector significantly impacts CO₂ emissions and atmospheric pollutants, contributing to climate change. Improving energy efficiency in buildings is essential to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, as outlined in the European Green Deal. This study presents a decision-support tool for energy retrofit interventions in existing residential buildings. The methodological approach begins with the identification and classification of common roof and wall types in the national residential building stock, segmented by construction period, followed by defining optimized, pre-calculated standardized solutions. The performance evaluations of proposed solutions resulted in a matrix designed to guide practitioners in selecting pre-calculated, efficient, and sustainable prefabricated solutions based on energy performance criteria. The tool developed from this matrix enables preliminary energy assessment, offering an overview of potential retrofit interventions. It assists designers in identifying specific cases based on construction period, building type, and climate zone, allowing for the selection of standardized solutions, energy pre-analyses, energy and cost-saving simulations, and access to detailed performance sheets. Unlike other tools requiring extensive input on opaque envelope components and thermo-physical calculations, this tool streamlines the selection process of vertical and roof closures based on construction age and building type. Additionally, the tool estimates potential economic savings and the Net Present Value (NPV) of proposed insulation solutions, identifying available incentives for the intervention. Full article

This study investigates, both experimentally and theoretically, the impact of incorporating window shutters on the thermal resistance of double-glazed window units, employing computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modelling. The integration of shutters, whether installed internally or externally, introduces an additional air layer that significantly influences heat transfer between indoor and outdoor environments. This effect on the thermal performance of the transparent structure was analysed through experimental measurements under real operating conditions and numerical simulations involving fluid dynamics and energy equations for the air gaps, alongside heat conduction equations for the solid components. Fourth-kind boundary conditions, considering both radiative and conductive components of the total heat flux emanating from the building’s interior, were applied at the solid–gas interfaces. The simulation results, comparing heat transfer through double-glazed windows with and without shutters, demonstrate a substantial increase in thermal resistance, ranging from 2 to 2.5 times, upon shutter implementation. These findings underscore the effectiveness of employing shutters as a strategy to enhance the energy efficiency of windows and, consequently, the overall energy performance of buildings. This research contributes to the advancement of sustainable materials for engineering applications by providing insights into the optimisation of thermal performance in building envelopes. Full article

Qinghai Province urgently requires the development of adaptive energy-efficient rural housing construction to address resettlement needs arising from hydropower projects, given the region’s characteristic combination of high solar irradiance resources and severe cold climate conditions. This research establishes localized retrofit strategies through systematic field investigations and Rhinoceros modeling simulations of five representative rural residences across four villages. The key findings reveal that comprehensive building envelope retrofits achieve an 80% reduction in energy consumption. South-facing sunspaces demonstrate effective thermal buffering capacity, though their spatial depth exhibits negligible correlation with heating energy requirements. An optimized hybrid shading system combining roof overhangs and vertical louvers demonstrates critical efficacy in summer overheating mitigation, with vertical louvers demonstrating superior thermal and luminous regulation precision. Architectural orientation analysis identifies an optimal alignment within ±10° of true south, emphasizing the functional zoning principle of positioning primary living spaces in south-oriented ground floor areas while locating auxiliary functions in northeastern/northwestern zones. The integrated design framework synergizes three core components: passive solar optimization, climate-responsive shading mechanisms, and performance-enhanced envelope systems, achieving simultaneous improvements in energy efficiency and thermal comfort within resettlement housing constraints. This methodology establishes a replicable paradigm for climate-resilient rural architecture in high-altitude, solar-intensive cold regions, effectively reconciling community reconstruction needs with low-carbon development imperatives through context-specific technical solutions. Full article

The context for this article is sustainable and ecological green city and building design; the intent is to advance architecture and ecology integration and multi-species design in architecture through the development of a conceptual framework for and computational approach to the early-stage design of ecological building envelopes, which are enclosures of buildings that make provisions for humans, plants, and animals. This entails two research questions: (1) how to integrate architectural and ecological domain knowledge into a conceptual and methodological framework and (2) how to develop a computational workflow and components for the early-stage design of ecological building envelopes. A mixed-method approach was used to develop an ontology-aided generative computational design process that combines computational ontologies, a voxel model, and rule-based processes that generate design variety. The process was developed to support two dominant design cases in architectural practice: masterplan design and building design. This article outlines the underlying key concepts, the computational workflow, and the developed key computational components and summarily indicates validation approaches during the development process. Finally, thoughts on the technical implementation of the computational workflow and components are indicated and further research questions are outlined. Full article

According to the China Building Energy Consumption and Carbon Emissions Research Report (2023), the construction industry accounts for 36.3% of total societal energy consumption, with residential buildings contributing significantly due to their extensive coverage and high operational frequency. Addressing energy efficiency and carbon reduction in this sector is critical for achieving national sustainability goals. This study proposes an optimization methodology for rural dwellings in Inner Mongolia, focusing on reducing energy demand while enhancing indoor thermal comfort and daylight performance. A parametric model was developed using Grasshopper, with energy consumption, thermal comfort (PPD), and Useful Daylight Illuminance (UDI) simulated through Ladybug and Honeybee tools. Key parameters analyzed include building morphology, envelope structures, and indoor thermal environments, followed by systematic optimization of building components. To refine multi-objective inputs, a specialized wall database was established, enabling categorization and dynamic visualization of material properties and construction methods. Comparative analysis demonstrated a 22.56% reduction in energy consumption, 19.26% decrease in occupant thermal dissatisfaction (PPD), and 25.44% improvement in UDI values post-optimization. The proposed framework provides a scientifically validated approach for improving energy efficiency and environmental adaptability in cold-climate rural architecture. Full article

Dynamic building envelopes integrated with renewable energy sources, termed Dynamic and Renewable Source Building Envelopes (DREBE), provide an innovative approach to optimizing building envelope designs. Yet, these systems are not mature enough and not widely adopted in the industry and few literature resources are employed to understand them. These systems dynamically respond and adapt to various environmental, energy, and occupancy demands for higher energy efficiency and comfort levels compared to traditional building envelopes while simultaneously producing energy. Their potential in climate change mitigation and fostering sustainable urban development warrants great attention from industry and urban planners. Especially in positive energy districts, which aim to reach net-positive energy goals through utilizing smart energy efficient building systems on the district level. This paper reviews innovative systems like dynamic photovoltaic shading devices and phase change materials and evaluates their performance by answering two research questions, what are the current DBE trends and are they feasible in achieving net-positive energy consumption? The analysis conducted reveals the dominance of solar-based dynamic renewable energy systems and a great need for alternatives. The study suggests that alternatives like wind as a renewable energy source should be studied with dynamic systems. Moreover, the study highlights current research gaps including insufficient data on long-term application and economic costs associated with such systems. To address this gap, the study suggests exploring in depth some of these systems and then branching into various combinations of dynamic envelope systems with multiple renewable or adaptive components to further enhance the overall building performance. By synthesizing the current body of literature, this paper gives insights into advancing the application of the dynamic building envelope systems and highlights their crucial role in the future of sustainable urban environments. Full article

The urgency to retrofit buildings for energy efficiency highlights the need for effective financing mechanisms. Energy Performance Contracts (EPCs) present a viable solution by financing building retrofits based on anticipated energy savings. Reliable baseline models are essential to quantifying these savings accurately. EPCs facilitate retrofits by allowing Energy Service Companies (ESCOs) to cover the upfront costs of energy-saving measures, with repayment derived from the cost savings generated by the reduced energy consumption. This performance-based approach demands accurate and reliable baseline models to predict the expected savings. This study introduces a white-box calibration methodology that accurately estimates energy consumption even with limited monitoring data, making it valuable for cases with scarce or incomplete historical data. In addition to addressing data limitations, the research examines scenarios with restricted control parameters, demonstrating that indoor temperature and energy demand are essential to obtaining a robust baseline model. The present work focuses on performing the calibration process through a single-stage approach that operates on EnergyPlus’ Ideal Loads component and the building-envelope parameters simultaneously. The paper demonstrates that it is possible to accurately assess the building’s energy performance and capture its indoor climate while reducing the time and resources required to train the model. This method achieved a Coefficient of Variation of Mean Square Error (CV(RMSE)) of 26.40% and a Normalized Mean Bias Error (NMBE) of −8.49% during training, with stability maintained during the checking period. The resulting calibrated white-box model serves as a powerful tool for EPCs, enabling reliable prediction of energy savings and offering a predictive framework for building management. By incorporating both energy and temperature, the model supports more informed decision-making and proactive energy management, enhancing the overall sustainability and efficiency of building operations. The methodology is limited to air-based HVAC systems and depends on high-resolution data and monitoring infrastructure. Additionally, the methodology was tested on a single demonstration site, and further research is needed to assess its adaptability to diverse building types and HVAC configurations. Full article

To achieve the goal of building zero-waste cities, managing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions generated from municipal solid waste (MSW) treatment is a critical step toward carbon neutrality. Waste produced by consumption activities constitutes an essential component of MSW management. Using the Super Slacks-Based Measure Data Envelopment Analysis (SSBM-DEA) model and the Spatial Durbin Model (SDM), this study investigates the spatial impacts of consumption upgrading (CU) on municipal waste management across 30 provinces in China, with a particular focus on GHGs as undesirable outputs. In this study, we construct a framework from the dimensions of consumption level, consumption structure, and green consumption. Additionally, other socioeconomic factors influencing waste management are explored. The results indicate a convergence trend in the uneven distribution of consumption upgrading, with the gaps between regions gradually narrowing. Consumption upgrading significantly enhances the eco-efficiency of local waste management and exhibits notable spatial spillover effects, positively influencing the eco-efficiency of neighboring regions. Furthermore, the promotion effect of consumption upgrading on the central and western regions, compared with the eastern region, is more pronounced. This indicates that the technological catch-up resulting from consumption upgrading, supported by policies, can further enhance the eco-efficiency of MSW. This study also provides insights for other regions transitioning from scale expansion to high-quality development in waste management. Full article

Moisture ingress is a critical concern in buildings, as it may profoundly affect structural integrity, the energy efficiency of a building, and as well the quality of the indoor environment that, in turn, could influence the health and safety of building occupants. Moisture ingress can occur during any phase in the lifecycle of a building component, where environmental loads, such as precipitation, wind, snow, and elevated relative humidity, play a fundamental role in affecting the building structure. Climate change exacerbates the issue of moisture ingress by intensifying these loads. In this review paper, the statistical perspective on publications related to moisture ingress in building envelope materials (BEMs) was first assessed through a scientometric study. All relevant publications were gathered and manually filtered, and the selected papers were categorized based on the topics discussed. The results of the scientometric study, as presented in this paper, include a bar chart in which the number of publications in each category is illustrated; a science journal mapping diagram showing the interdisciplinary connections of the research; a cluster map depicting the network between topics; and an R&D momentum analysis reflecting the rate of growth and publication count in this field. Given the strong focus on material properties, this review also examines experimental methods for characterizing moisture transport properties in building materials used in BEMs. Additionally, the differences between various codes and standards centered on this topic are reviewed and discussed. This combined strategy is intended to comprehensively evaluate available information and approaches to permit identifying the knowledge gaps that need to be addressed. Full article